Avocados and the Agriculture Behind the Wine

Before wine grapes dominated the landscape of the Temecula area, the surrounding hills were planted with something else: avocados. The avocado belt of Southern California extends through the coastal mountains and inland valleys north and south of Temecula, and for much of the twentieth century avocado orchards were among the most visible features of the landscape on Highway Seventy Nine and the roads climbing into the hills above the valley. California produces the large majority of avocados grown in the United States, and the inland valleys of San Diego and Riverside counties, where Temecula sits, have been among the most productive avocado-growing regions in the state since commercial cultivation began in the early twentieth century.

The elevation, ocean influence, and well-drained soils that suit wine grapes also suit avocados. The agricultural economy of the Temecula area has always been more diverse than any single crop suggests. Before avocados came in large numbers, the valley supported cattle ranching dating to the Mexican rancho period.

After avocados, wine grapes became dominant in the hillside properties. Some growers still maintain avocado orchards alongside vineyards, the two crops sharing hillsides that face slightly different directions and receive different amounts of morning fog. The farmstands selling avocados, citrus, and local honey along the back roads east of Old Town offer a taste of the agricultural economy that existed in this valley before the wine tourists arrived.